Archive by Author
Small Talk is a Big Deal: Perceptions of Chit-chat Around the World Posted by meaghan on Apr 14, 2014 in Archived Posts
Whether you’re meeting with a business partner or just trying to fit in with the locals on vacation, how you approach small talk is an immediate indicator of your cultural knowledge. The first few sentences you exchange may set the tone for the rest of your conversation or meeting, so it’s important to start…
Train Your Brain: 10 Memory Boosters for Language Learners Posted by meaghan on Mar 26, 2014 in Archived Posts
The chorus of naysayers who claim their “memory is too bad” to learn a language is about to be silenced forevermore. Our memories naturally decline as we age, and some of us are just pretty darn forgetful to begin with. At 24 years old, the only phone number I have memorized is 867-5309. Shameful, I…
Are Some Languages Harder to Learn than Others? Posted by meaghan on Mar 10, 2014 in Archived Posts
What’s the easiest language to learn? Why is Chinese harder to learn than Spanish? How hard would it be to learn Icelandic? Considering that I spend most of my day lurking through the depths of the language-learning communities on various social media networks, I see a lot of questions about the relative difficulty of learning…
Can Learning a Language Change Your Life? Posted by meaghan on Mar 3, 2014 in Archived Posts
What’s the worst excuse not to learn a new language? “I just don’t need to.” Okay, fair enough. Maybe your everyday life doesn’t require any knowledge of a foreign language at the moment. But that doesn’t mean a new language holds no value for you. And if you’re guilty of thinking so, it’s probably because…
8 of the Most Translated Stories in the World Posted by meaghan on Feb 24, 2014 in Archived Posts
Looking for a good read in your target language? Chances are one of these stories will be available, considering they are among the most translated stories in the world. Here are my top 8 picks for foreign language reading materials, from children’s books to comics to full-length classics. 1. Harry Potter Series This seven-part book…
You Know You Love Language Learning When… Posted by meaghan on Feb 19, 2014 in Archived Posts
A few weeks ago, I posted this image to our Facebook pages and asked you to fill in the blank. Here’s a few of my favorite responses: …when you stop relying on Google translate to do your homework. …your social life consists of asking others if they speak Arabic also. …you find the phrase “Il…
Heehaw or Eeyore: Onomatopoeias in Foreign Languages Posted by meaghan on Feb 3, 2014 in Archived Posts
WHAM! One of my favorite aspects of a language is onomatopoeia—the words assigned to specific sounds, like the woof woof of your childhood dog, or the vroom vroom of a new car. Part of the reason onomatopoeic words differ among languages is the availability of sounds in each language. A diving bird obviously can’t make…